Upwards of 1,000 people on Friday participated in a transgender rights march from Union Station to the U.S. Capitol.

SMYAL Executive Director Erin Whelan; Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson and Japer Bowles, director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, are among those who participated in the March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy that Queer Youth Assemble organized to coincide with the Transgender Day of Visibility. 

Queer Youth Assemble advocates for young LGBTQ and intersex people. The group’s website notes it organized Transgender Day of Visibility marches across the country on Friday.

“This march has reached so many people around the country because of our strength as individuals and as a community,” said Queer Youth Assemble Co-president Alia Cusolito at the beginning of a rally that took place in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool after the march. “This is a heavy time. It’s a frightening time and a necessary time to speak up.” 

Samira Burnside, a 16-year-old trans woman from Tampa, Fla., spoke after Cusolito.

“These last few months have been hard; hard for all of us,” said Burnside. “As Republicans swept into more seats than they held last year and another election cycle begins, transgenderism has become the battleground through which the cultural war finds itself reborn, more violent, more angry, more terrible.”

Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth Executive Director Shaplaie Brooks noted “these attacks are strategic.”

“Grown adults are bullying LGBTQ youth,” said Brooks.

This year’s Transgender Day of Visibility took place against the backdrop of a proliferation of anti-transgender bills and laws in states across the country.

Kentucky lawmakers on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill that will, among other things, ban gender-affirming medical care for trans and nonbinary people who are under 18. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem in February signed a similar measure into law. 

“Transgender Americans deserve to be safe and supported in every community — but today, across our country, MAGA extremists are advancing hundreds of hateful and extreme state laws that target transgender kids and their families. No one should have to be brave just to be themselves,” said President Joe Biden on Friday in his Transgender Day of Visibility statement.

“Let me be clear: These attacks are un-American and must end,” he added. “The bullying, discrimination, and political attacks that trans kids face have exacerbated our national mental health crisis. More than half of transgender youth say they have seriously considered suicide. Loving parents are terrified for their children’s futures.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Friday became the state’s first governor to publicly commemorate Transgender Day of Visibility.

“People who have the courage to demand visibility, even after facing hardship — in some cases, after facing violence and poverty — they represent the very best of Maryland. We need to elevate their stories, embrace their courage, and celebrate their humanity,” he said before he signed a proclamation that proclaimed March 31, 2023, as International Transgender Day of Visibility in Maryland. “By signing this proclamation, we are taking a step forward. And I look forward to working with all of you to continue that march in the years to come.”

U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Thursday reintroduced the Transgender Bill of Rights, which a press release from Jayapal’s office notes would provide “a comprehensive policy framework to provide protections for transgender and nonbinary people, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their gender identity or expression.”

“As the very proud mother of an incredible trans daughter, I am deeply disturbed by the rise in anti-trans legislation at all levels of government and at the uptick of transphobic violence,” said Jayapal on Friday during a virtual Transgender Day of Visibility town hall.

Jacobs, who represents California’s 51st Congressional District, noted her brother is trans and another sibling is gender non-conforming.

The California Democrat said “one of the proudest moments of my life” was when she officiated her brother’s wedding late last year. Jacobs noted it took place the same week that Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act. 

“His existence deserves to be recognized and respected, his wedding deserves to be celebrated,” said Jacobs, referring to her brother. “His life deserves to be protected, just like every other person and every other trans person.”

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, Whitman-Walker Institute Kellan Baker, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Rigo Heng-Lehtinen and Athlete Ally Ambassador Kaiya McCullough are among those who also participated in the town hall.

Stormy Daniels insists she’s not frightened of facing Donald Trump in court as nothing could be “scarier” than seeing him naked.

The ex-porn star, 44, who is at the centre of the former US president’s historic indictment, also warned the legal action against the 76-year-old could ignite “death and destruction”, and told how it has led to her being targeted with a wave of fresh death threats over her links to him.

Referring to Trump’s infamous “grab ’em by the p****’ scandal, she told The Times newspaper about him facing criminal charges showing no one is “untouchable”: “No matter what your job or bank account says, you’re held accountable for what you’ve said and done, and justice is served.

“It’s vindication. But it’s bittersweet. He’s done so much worse that he should have been taken down (for) before.

“I am fully aware of the insanity of it being a porn star. But it’s also poetic; this p**** grabbed back.”

She added about being unafraid of the prospect of facing Trump in court: “I’ve seen him naked. There’s no way he could be scarier with his clothes on.”

Opening up about the new death threats she has received since Trump’s indictment on Thursday (30.03.23), she said: “The number and the intensity is the same as it was the first time around, but this time it’s straight-up violent.

“The first time it was ‘gold digger’, ‘s***’, ‘whore’, ‘liar’, whatever.

“And this time it’s, ‘I’m gonna murder you.’ They’re way more violent and graphic.

“I’m not afraid of him, or of the government, but it just takes one crazy supporter who thinks they’re doing God’s work or protecting democracy… you don’t want blood in the water. It kind of encourages the sharks… it’s especially scary because Trump himself is inciting violence and encouraging it.”

She added about being fearless over being asked to testify against Trump: “I hope that I do have to. I’m not afraid, I have nothing to hide, and I look forward to telling everybody what I know.”

Stormy – born Stephanie Gregory Clifford – also hailed his indictment as “monumental” and “epic”, adding: “He’s already gotten away with inciting a riot, and causing death and destruction. “Whatever the outcome is, it’s going to cause violence, and there’s going to be injuries and death.”

Trump’s lawyer says the scandal plagued businessman – the first ex-US president to be indicted in history – will not be handcuffed when he’s arrested on Tuesday (04.03.23) on what is thought to be around 30 charges, but he could face fingerprinting and a mugshot.

His attorney Joe Tacopina confirmed the no-cuffs deal had been struck between Trump’s legal team and prosecutors in Manhattan, where the former US commander-in-chief will surrender to authorities after a grand jury voted he should face criminal charges over a $130,000 hush money payment to former porn star Stormy during the 2016 presidential race.

Stormy claims she had a fling with Trump in 2006.

He denies they had an affair and has called it a “witch hunt”, but has admitted directing his then lawyer Michael Cohen, 56, to pay Daniels $130,000 for her silence.

The adult star claimed Cohen deployed “intimidation and coercive tactics” to get her to sign on to the statement denying her affair with Trump.

Cohen told a federal court in Manhattan Trump directed him to make the payments, and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges stemming from his part in the payments.

A crowd of advocates and lawmakers gathered at Governor Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office on March 31 to protest the state’s plan to overhaul a drug discount program that has allowed non-profit providers and safety net hospitals in the state to save money on medication and redirect resources to other areas of need.

The protest marked the latest in a series of demonstrations led by non-profit groups and health providers — many of which serve LGBTQ individuals and people living with HIV — over the looming threats to what is known as the federal 340B program, a drug discount initiative that requires drugmakers to give medication to certain providers at discounted rates.

Under the 340 program, pharmaceutical companies participating in Medicaid sell discounted drugs to managed care providers, and those providers, in turn, save money, get reimbursed by the federal government, and redirect those funds to educational initiatives, transportation costs, and other health and wellness-related services for clients.

The precarious state of 340B funding has been evident over the last several years as the state has weighed changes to the program — first under former Governor Andrew Cuomo and now under the Hochul administration. Advocates have succeeded in delaying the cuts in recent years, but now, with the state budget in the final stretch, advocates are again warning of disaster if the changes are implemented.

“Governor Hochul tells us that addressing health equity and improving access to care for the LGBTQIA+ community and communities of color are priorities,” said Jacqui Kilmer, the chief executive officer of Harlem United, which provides healthcare, housing, prevention, and supportive services to New Yorkers. “But actions speak louder than words, and that simply cannot be true if the Governor allows this ill-conceived carve-out to go through. Millions of New Yorkers across the state will be the losers. The time is now, Governor Hochul: Do the right thing and stop the carve-out now.”

Advocates who rallied on March 31 warned that changes to life-saving care and wraparound services — including food, housing, transportation, and medication management — will have a negative impact on 2.3 million people in New York State. The state is vowing to move ahead with a different pharmacy benefit program, NYRx, which the Hochul administration insists would actually boost funding for the many non-profit organizations and hospitals that have warned that the changes will significantly slash funding.

“Under the new model, the Medicaid program will pay pharmacy costs directly, removing middlemen such as pharmacy benefit managers,” State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri wrote in a March 30 op-ed in the Buffalo News. “The new process will create transparency in reimbursements to pharmacies, leverage the state’s purchasing power to negotiate with drug manufacturers, and streamline practitioner administration.”

In the meantime, State Senator Gustavo Rivera of the Bronx has introduced Senate Bill S5136, which is viewed as a compromise to the 340B carve-out. The legislation, which is currently in the Health Committee, has drawn more than a dozen co-sponsors, including out State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan.

The culmination of the state budget process has coincided with 340B rallies in different parts of the state, including Albany, where advocates held a die-in earlier in the week alongside State Senator Robert Jackson of the Bronx and Manhattan. The March 31 demonstration in Manhattan brought support from members of the City Council, including out Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman. 

“Healthcare is a human right, but not when you can’t afford it,” Schulman said in a written statement. “Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act is a lifeline for uninsured and vulnerable patients, including members of the LGBTQ+ community. I urge the Governor and Legislature to include a compromise plan in the state budget that ensures the health of all New Yorkers is not compromised.”

Providers known for serving LGBTQ individuals, such as Housing Works, Harlem United, Alliance for Positive Change and Callen-Lorde, are weighing whether to boycott New York City Pride in June if the governor proceeds with the 340B carve-out. Buffalo Pride has already signaled to the governor that she is not welcome at Buffalo’s Pride festivities. 

Another key development out of Buffalo emerged recently when Evergreen, which is a safety net provider serving 24,000 people in that part of New York State, sought to resist the forthcoming change by filing a lawsuit alongside Heritage Health and Housing, which runs a Harlem-based health center to more than 5,500 patients.

“Although the Department of Health claims that it seeks to promote health equity and reduce health disparities, by pressing forward with the ‘carve-out,’ an ill-conceived relic of the Cuomo era, it will only serve to increase those disparities,” Sandra Gale, Heritage’s chief executive officer and general counsel, said in a written statement.